Biden Maintains Single-Digit Lead in Swing States Wisconsin and Pennsylvania

Expectations for Better COVID Response
Trump Still Leading in Economic Sector

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, a poll showed that in key battleground states Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Democratic candidate former Vice President Joe Biden maintains a lead over President Donald Trump by 5 percentage points and 3 percentage points, respectively. Former Vice President Biden received high marks for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but in the economic sector, President Trump still holds a stronger support rate.

According to U.S. political media The Hill, on the 21st (local time), a joint poll conducted by Reuters-Ipsos of 1,006 voters in Wisconsin showed that Biden’s support rate was 48%, 5 percentage points higher than Trump’s 43%. While Biden was favored over Trump in responses regarding better handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Trump received higher support in the economic sector. Wisconsin is a representative battleground state in this election; in the 2016 election, Trump narrowly defeated then-Democratic candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 23,000 votes. In another battleground state, Pennsylvania, the poll also showed Biden (49%) leading Trump (46%).

In a nationwide presidential poll jointly released by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the previous day, former Vice President Biden (51%) led President Trump (43%) by 8 percentage points. The poll showed that in 12 so-called battleground states?Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin?Biden led Trump. Biden’s average support in these battleground states was 51%, outpacing Trump’s 45%.

In a poll conducted by EWTN-RealClear from the 27th of last month to the 1st of this month with 1,212 voters, among those who identified as Catholic, Biden’s support was 53%, while Trump’s was 41%. Among respondents to this poll, 50% said they voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and 45% said they voted for Trump, indicating that the gap in support between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates among Catholic voters has widened slightly.

Although former Vice President Biden continues to maintain a single-digit lead, it is expected that support rates will fluctuate again depending on the results of the TV debates starting on the 29th. The U.S. presidential TV debates will be held three times on the 29th of this month, and the 15th and 22nd of next month, with a vice-presidential debate on the 7th of next month. In the TV debates, President Trump, who has extensive broadcasting experience including hosting reality shows, is expected to have an advantage over former Vice President Biden. Earlier, in a poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University from the 28th to 31st of last month with 1,000 registered voters, 47% of respondents expected President Trump to have the upper hand in the presidential debates, while only 41% expected Biden to have the advantage.